Discussion Guide: I Am Canada: A Call to Battle

How would a typical day for you differ from that of Sandy and his family? What is the main item on your daily “To Do” list, versus Sandy’s? What are the tools he uses most through the day? How are these tools similar to or different from the tools you use in your daily life?
Why is Sandy so eager to join his brother and father in the militia? What reasons does his father have for not wanting him to go? Do you sympathize more with Sandy or with his father?
When Sandy defies his father and goes to see the battle site at Stoney Creek, his father refuses to speak with him for months. What do you think about his father's reaction and subsequent behaviour?
Sandy travels to join the 5th Lincoln with no map, GPS, smartphone, compass, etc. to help him. How would you fare if you had to journey 86 km alone, without major highways or the tools you usually take for granted? What could you use to be sure you reach your destination?
War is still present in our world today and is reported in newspapers, on TV, on the internet, from posts on Facebook and Twitter. Discuss some ways that warfare and the reporting of it have changed in the two hundred years since Sandy’s time.
Why does Sandy’s meeting with Abell affect him so much?
By the end of the book, Sandy’s view on life has changed a great deal. What do you think changed him? How do you see the rest of his life unfolding?